Temptation and other one shots
by Cheese1
Summary: ONE SHOT COLLECTION! Temptation - / The Cure - / The Alpha Male on the bench / The Frown - Booth and Brennan are having a conversation in the car
1. Chapter 1

Ooookay, another idea for a one-shot pestered me until I wrote it out of my head ;) This is the first time I actually try to use first person + present tense. Kind of an experiment ;) . I hope it turns out to be both read- and enjoyable.

Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my crazy mind.

* * *

**Temptation**

I'm not going to give into the temptation. I'm not. Maybe, just maybe, if I tell it myself often enough, I'll be able to believe in it. So not giving in.

She turns around to give me that impatient look of hers, while stomping ahead of me towards her office through the abandoned Jeffersonian and I know that I'm never going to succeed. Not a chance in hell. Maybe I'll be able to withstand the temptation named Temperance for another hour, another day, another week. But hell, it's just crystal clear that someday I'll seize to be strong enough. Though I'm still not quite sure if it's my strength that keeps me from kissing her senseless or my weakness. Maybe I'm a coward.

She has stopped, half-way through the lab and is staring at me. No, I realize, she is scowling. I guess she said something to me and I should have answered. I stop, too. "Ah, what did you say?" I ask, trying my charm smile on her. The scowl doesn't vanish and the ultimate female accusation against a man is thrown in my face: "You're not listening to a single word I say."

"Ah, that's not true… " I stumble over my own words. Her reaction is one of the few questions that actually are even more lethal than the statement she'd used before. "What did I just say, hm?" Crap. The question is right up there with "Do I look fat in this?" or "Do you think this woman is prettier than me?"

And while Bones is not likely to use the other two questions, she uses "What did I just say?" – or variations of it – quite frequently. Idiot that I am, I often give her reason for it, too.

"I may have been distracted for a minute." I admit and I'm not even lying. I had been distracted. By her ass in that goddamn tight pair of jeans. And by the thought of kissing her. That's the part I can't tell her, though.

"By what?" She promptly asks and I manage not to groan. I would be damn proud of this achievement, too, if she wasn't giving me that 'glare'. I can actually picture daggers shooting out of her eyes, piercing me. Ridiculous, I know, but if she'd be looking at you that way….

"Brain." I say and tap my forehead. "Thoughts"

She rolls her eyes at me. "Partner." She points at herself and mocks my linguistically lame answer from before. "Talking." Then she points at me. "You. Listening."

"I'm not a complete caveman." I manage to pour a little hurt into my voice, although I think her imitation of me was awfully cute. Can't tell her that, though.

"I'm not so sure. Even a child should have the ability to walk and have a conversation at the same time." She points out. Little smart-ass. No, don't think of her ass!

"I have no problem walking and listening to you." Now it's my turn to scowl at her. "I was thinking about the case, okay?"

"You probably shouldn't have asked me about my opinion if you're not ready to listen to my answer." Bones gives back, her eyes shooting daggers once again. I can almost feel them. Almost.

"Well, make it shorter then. All that squint-talk's going to give me a head-ache." I counter.

Her eyebrows shoot up. "I was not giving you a scientific answer whatsoever. I told you about my personal view on this matter."

She had? Ooops. "Ah, you did?" I try to charm smile her again, but I think I'm losing my touch, because she is still scowling at me. Damn it.

"Do you even remember what you asked me?" Her eyes are glinting dangerously and her voice drops a little. Oh-oh. Red alert. Abandon the ship, forget about women and children, let me go first!

"Look, I'm sorry, Bones. I've got a lot of things on my mind." I try to explain, hey, I even apologise, that should give me some cookie points. It doesn't, though. She just keeps on scowling.

"You asked me what I think drove this girl into suicide. You hardly ever ask me for my personal opinion, Booth, only my professional view. And now you ask and then you don't even have the decency to listen." Her voice is clipped. And a little hurt. No, no, no. Not hurt. I can't take it when she's hurt. Gets to me every time.

I sigh. "I'm really sorry, Bones. I got distracted. Would you repeat what you've told me? I really want to know." Grovel, Booth, grovel. Thankfully at this hour nobody's insane enough to be at the lab to witness my defeat.

"I don't like to repeat myself." The hurt is still in her voice, but her posture is less aggressive and stiff.

Well, more grovelling it is. "I'm sorry. Look, Temperance. I'm a man. Don't you women always complain that we're horrible at listening? Well, now you know it's true. I'm living proof of that horrible male flaw. " An amused smile tugs at her lip and I know I've got the ship back on course.

"One of the many horrible flaws of men." She comments and I grovel some more by nodding eagerly.

Man, I'm feeling like an obedient little puppy. But instead of wagging my tail (oh and wouldn't that be fun, too) I'm nodding my head like an idiot.

She arches an eyebrow at me and I know I've overdone it. "You're mocking me." She pouts a little and I'm a goner. What is it about that woman, really? The way she juts out her chin a little and sticks out her lower lip when she pouts…. Adorable. I'm on the verge of blurting it out, but I catch myself. Wouldn't do me any good, right? She'd probably slug me.

"Come on, Bones. Tell me what you think drove that girl into suicide." I ask her, referring again to the case we just closed, because it hadn't been homicide, but suicide.

She waits a moment, then nods, resumes walking towards her office and starts to talk. And I'm once again trailing behind her, admiring her ass in that tight pair of jeans, desperately trying to concentrate on what she's saying. I'm not sure if I'll be able to listen to her if she's walking ahead of me, so I walk a little faster. When I'm beside her, she shuts up abruptly and gives me that questioning look again. Crap, I really managed to get distracted AGAIN. At least now I have a notion what she's been talking about.

"I think you're getting really good at understanding people." I say, silently praying that it's going to be a good answer, and won't raise any suspicions.

"Thank you." She says, obviously proud. I nearly sigh in relief. "So you agree?"

"Ah…" I hesitate. What to say, what to say? "I guess so." I manage and she gives me a wary look. "You didn't listen." Her voice is grave.

"Ah, I didn't catch all of it, since you were walking ahead." I say. Hey, not lying, totally not lying. Her walking in front of me really caused my lack in interest in what she was saying. Can't think of much, when you're distracted on that very.. uhm…special… level.

"What is wrong with you?" She addresses me. "I think you really need to see a doctor. Even for men it's not normal not to be capable of participating in a conversation while walking. Or are you counting your steps?" Her tone oozes sarcasm. And a little hurt, again. Damn, damn, damn.

"Bones, I'm really sorry. Today… I'm not feeling well." Technically, not a lie, again. It's not comfortable to walk around with a hard-on half of the time. I'm really good at not lying, but also not telling the truth, right? Yay me!

Worry starts to show on her face. "You really need to see a doctor?"

"No, no. I guess….. Maybe I should just go sit down a little." I say. Sitting down is good. I don't see her ass in front of me, when we're sitting, right? She's going to sit on it. Good solution, Seeley.

She nods, concern edged in her face, opens the door to her office and watches me like a hawk while I slowly sit down on her couch. Obviously she's ready to come to my aid in case I pass out or something. Her concern is flattering. Makes me feel guilty, though.

Bones gets a glass of water and places it on the small table in front of me. "You need anything?" She asks and I only shake my head. "Just a moment, okay?" I say, trying to get her to sit down too, so I don't get distracted by her ass in that GOD DAMNED PAIR OF JEANS again. I hate those jeans. They ought to be on the list of forbidden clothes or something. So tempting. On the other hand, what would be the jeans without the woman inside them, huh? So, it's her who should be on a list.

Bones nods and lowers herself into the chair directly in front of me. Then she leans forward to press her hand against my brow, trying to feel if I'm feverish. Her movement gives me a pretty good view of her cleavage and I nearly groan.

"Hm" She says. "I think you're having a temperature."

Sure I have. I could even tell her what kind. The hots for her. That's what I have. Lots of temperature.

"Maybe you're coming down with something." Huh. Wouldn't mind coming with her. Down, up, sideways, you name it.

"No, I'm fine." I say and she gives me that concerned look again, but she leans back. No cleavage – panorama anymore. I practically feel my temperature go down again. Small things to be thankful for.

"I'm just going to open the window. Fresh air will be good for you." She says and rises, turns around and presents – once again – the tempting view of her ass in those tight-fitting jeans. I groan. She doesn't seem to hear it.

She crosses over to the window and opens it. Fresh air wafts in, filling her office. I'm really thankful for it, until I see what it does to her. To her nipples, to be accurate. They advertise themselves, little peaks, clearly visible through the material of her blouse. Tempting, teasing me.

I briefly close my eyes and count to ten. I think I really have to get out of here. Out of her office. Need to get her out of my head. Cold shower for me, I decide. I open my eyes again.

She's watching me – and I see her eyebrows rising in astonishment. I follow her gaze and my face reddens. There, between my legs is very prominent proof of my fascination with her nipples and / or her ass. Damn. I shift, trying to hide my hard-on from hell.

"Booth." She says. I avoid looking at her.

"What was it you said distracted you before?" There is amusement in her voice. AMUSEMENT. She's torturing me. She definitely needs to go on that list. I'll make it my mission to put her on it.

"Thoughts." My voice is hoarse when I force out the single word..

"Uh-uh." She makes. "Thoughts." She repeats the word and although I'm not looking at her I can tell she is smiling. Broadly so.

"And what were you thinking about?" She asks, slowly walking towards me. Out of the corner of my eye I see that there is something…. predatory about the way she moves. Temptation on legs. Long legs.

"Many things." I answer, my eyes glued to the glass of water on the table.

I watch her hand take the glass of water away. Okay, focus, man, focus. You'll find something else to look at.

Unfortunately I don't have time to search for another inanimate object to concentrate on, because she lowers herself on the table directly in front of me. No escape. And it would look damn cowardly, right?

I close my eyes. It doesn't help, she's that near I can feel her breath on my face. "Booth." She whispers. "Were you staring at my ass when we were walking through the lab?"

Air whooshed out of me. "Yes." I whisper, my voice hoarse. My eyes are still closed, I don't dare to open them. I'm a coward, I know. I should be able to look at her, but I'm not quite sure if I want to see the expression on her face. Is she amused? Appalled? Insulted?

"So, you weren't listening to what I was saying, because you we're checking me out?" She interrogates me.

"Ah…" I hesitate. I have to open my eyes, to look at her before I say something that might get me a blackened eye. I'm man enough to want to see the blow coming.

The look on her face is one I've never seen before. Definitely curious, but there's something else too. I sigh and admit defeat. "Yeah, that's about… right."

"And this….." She gestures towards my erection which threatens to tear my pants apart. "… is for me?"

I nod. Words elude me, so nodding is all I manage.

"You want me." She says. It's a statement, not a question, but I nod anyway.

"I want you too." Her voice is husky and I think I know what I've seen on her face before. Hope, curiosity and lust. Oh, boy.

"You do?" I hear myself ask. Nothing more than a croak, really.

"I want you to touch me, Booth. I want you to show me all you know about defying the laws of physics." She whispers. That's it. I can't bear NOT to touch her after those words.

My hands reach for her face as if of their own volition and I cup her cheeks. "How can I say no to that" I whisper and touch my lips to hers. I try to be gentle, show her that it's not only lust, but damn it, she's making clear enough she doesn't care about gentleness right now.

She practically jumps into my lap, one of her hands trying to unbutton my shirt while she rakes the fingers of the other through my hair. My mouth ravishes hers and my hands travel over the perfect curve of her ass. Admiring it is one thing, but touching it….

Then I jump at the sound of a throat being cleared behind me. Bones nearly jumps off my lap again. "I'm sorry."

Angela says, but clearly she's not. She's beaming at us. "I really hate to interrupt, but Bren you still got my car keys."

"Oh." Bones breaths. Quickly she crosses to her desk, digs out the keys and throws them at her best friend. "Sorry. I borrowed her car, cause mine refused to work." She adds for my benefit.

"So…" I say, slowly catching up with the information. "You need a lift home?"

"Oh, yes." She almost sighs it and a new wave of desire fires through me at the sound of her husky voice.

"Ho, boy." Angela comments. "You've got to blow off the steam right here or you'll wreck your car. I'm going to close this door, you're going to lock it, Sweetie. Nobody's here, so feel free to have wild monkey sex. The watchman comes by at 1 am. Maybe you'll manage to be gone by then." She grins. "Have fun." She closes the door behind her as promised and Bones hurries towards it.

For a moment I fear she's going to bolt. But she doesn't, she simply turns the key in the lock, makes sure the blinds are down, then walks towards me, all sexily swaggering hips and kiss-swollen lips.

"1 am." She says. "Is three hours away."

I so totally give into the temptation. Three hours are nothing.

* * *

Soooo. What do you say? You like it? It's definitely going to stay a one-shot, I simply don't have time to take it somewhere else and I kind of like that it starts with him telling himself not to give into the temptation and ends with him doing exactly that ;) Is it okay to use first person + present tense?

Maybe – if I have more ideas for smutty or half-smutty one-shots – this will evolve into a one-shot collection. I already have a t-rated one, but this is on the verge, IMO.

Reviews would be AWESOME!


	2. Chapter 2

First, let me thank all of you who read this and of course special thanks to those who reviewed. I've really been pretty insecure about this one-shot… using present tense and first person.

But since some of you really seemed to like it, another idea in my head beckoned to be written. So, this is now officially a one-shot collection .

* * *

The cure…

I give her a thankful smile when she hands me the beer. I'm damn proud of myself.

I just finished setting up the TV and hard disk recorder with DVD player I talked her into buying. Of course – being Bones – she might have been able to set it up herself, but this is man's work.

And she only gave me a five minute speech of how women were perfectly able to do things like that themselves. Five minutes is nothing. So, in the end I won.

And now I'm sitting in front of that impressive plasma TV, wondering if I'll ever be able to afford something like that myself. Thinking of how school just started again and Parker had brought home a long list of things Becca and I needed to buy…. Ah, not likely. So, I just have to spend as much time as possible at Bones' apartment.

I glance over to the beautiful woman beside me and decide that there are definitely worse things in the world than being stuck with her. She cocks an eyebrow at me and I realize I've been staring at her.

Huh. Can beer work BEFORE actually drinking it?

I wink at her and ask. "Ready to try it out?"

"You tried already when you were programming channels and all." She throws in and I roll my eyes.

"This is different. Now the work is done and we can just lean back and enjoy." I explain to her, giving her a pleading look.

"Ah. Go ahead." She waves her hand at the new system and I press the button and ta-da there it is. I really, really wish I could afford something like that. Vibrant colors, big screen, great sound. A dream come true. I may not own the system, but I can still enjoy it, right?

I zap through the channels, quickly passing Discovery Channel and all those things she might find interesting. Wouldn't want to end up watching a documentary about the mating rituals of penguins, now would I? Who produces that stuff, anyway? These people must need an endless supply of coffee to be able to film something like that. Or, which is an disturbing thought, they actually find penguin sex interesting. Perverts.

"Hey, look." I pause at a music channel. "Foreigner." They're showing a concert of Foreigner and I smile when I remember how the sometimes so uptight woman beside me had danced to "Hot Blooded."

As if on cue, the next song starts. And I know that drum intro.

"Come on, Bones… It's Hot Blooded. Wanna dance? Remember the last time?" I smile at her, but the smile vanishes in an instant when I see her pale face, her trembling hand nearly dropping the bottle of beer she was holding

"Bones?" I ask, not sure what to make of the her quick change of mood.

Her gaze is glued on me, her face pale and there is panic clearly visible in her eyes. "Off." She forces out and I shake my head, not understanding what she's talking about. "What? The TV?"

"Yes." Her voice wavers and she gestures towards the screen. I reach for the remote control and set the TV to mute. She is still shaking and I take the bottle out of her hand before she manages to spill the content. "Bones, you look as if you've seen a ghost. You're scaring me."

Her eyes still hold that gleam of panic when she reaches for my hand. She's holding on as if she needs to make sure I'm still here. And that's the moment when realisation hits. "It was the song, right? Hot Blooded."

She nods, her breathing slowing a little, but her hand in mine is still trembling. She looks as if traumatized.

I swallow hard and whisper. "Tell me. Tell my why you're scared. It will help." She shakes her head, but after a moment complies anyway.

"I can't listen to it." She forces out. "It …. brings up memories." Her voice sounds exhausted and I think I hardly ever saw her looking so pale and fragile. I do what comes naturally and hug her. She sags against me and I'm shocked at how limp she feels in my arms. "Bones, what scares you that much?"

"You." She whispers and I'm shocked. Shocked to the core. Her voice sounds tormented and I really don't want to be the reason for her pain. I draw back a little searching her eyes. They're filled with unshed tears.

"How did I do that?" I ask, trying to give my tone a casual note. And failing miserably.

"You got blown up by my fridge. I hear that song… and… and… I smell the smoke again." She stumbles over her own words. I'm once again shocked by the fact that something had managed to get her so out of sync.

"And I…. I have to put out the flames. I… need to check for your pulse and I … have to put out the flames…." Now the tears are falling, streaming down her cheeks and slowly I start to understand that the bomb in her fridge had put me in hospital, but somehow had scarred her far more deeply than me. Traumatized her.

"Hey, it's okay." I murmur and brush away her tears with my thumb. "You put out the flames. You did great."

"I thought you were dead." She forces out and more tears start to fall. "I thought you got killed because of me."

"Hey, hey. I'm here, right here and I'm very much alive." To prove my point I take her hand and put it on my chest, over my heart. "See, I've got a heartbeat."

A ghost of a smile wanders over her face. "I know." And more tears are falling and she sags against me once more. I have no clue what to do, but to hold her close, wait the storm out with her. What else is there to do, really? It feels good to hold her, but I really wish she would stop crying…. The sound of her painful sobs hurts me, too.

"Bones, shh, shh." I murmur again and between sobs I suddenly hear words. "…Blood. And I can't stop it. So much.. so much blood. My hands are full of your blood…."

I'm pretty sure that my broken ribs hadn't been bleeding when her fridge had blown me up. "… shot. Because of me. And then you were dead. YOU WERE DEAD." She suddenly pulls back and yells at me and I realise she has left her apartment and the memory of the bomb in her fridge.

She has moved on to the evening in that karaoke bar. When I had been shot. When I had stepped in front of a bullet that had been meant for her. Which I would do again. Because I'd rather die myself than see her in pain. And only now I realise how much pain my fake death must have caused her. I silently curse Sweets.

All the tears she seemed to have denied herself are now streaming down her face as she frowns at me. "You were dead, you bastard. You just left. How could you just leave me?"

"I'm here, Bones." I whisper. Her pained voice has me swallowing hard against tears that threaten to build in me now too. "I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you."

"But you did. You made me depend on you and then you took it away. It hurt so much." She sobs again and her words rip through me like the bullet that I had taken for her. No, the pain is worse. Different and worse.

Her red-rimmed, teary eyes hold an accusatory gleam in them and her trembling hands are clamped down on mine. There's desperation in her eyes that mirrors my own.

I've got to tell her how much she means to me. I know it. This is the moment. It's now or never and I free my hands of her grip, then cup her cheeks with them, brushing another tear away.

"Temperance. I'd die for you. Because you're so damn precious to me. I love you." My throat closes after I said those words. My voice had sounded unsteady and odd, I realise myself. My heart beats so fast the sound blurs together, but time seems to stand still when another pained sob escapes her. She gives me an incredulous and surprised look, but then relief shines bright in her eyes and she launches herself into my arms again and she holds on as if for dear life. "Don't leave me. Don't ever leave me." I hear her whisper and I press a kiss to her temple. I know she's finally opened up to me. And I'm glad she did.

"I couldn't." I say. "I need you."

She remains silent and I whisper into her ear. "I have memories too. Horrible ones, Bones. How I found you, when you were taken by Kenton. Your phone call from New Orleans." I swallow hard, because here comes the hardest, the hardest part. "The phone call from the grave digger." I take in a slow, steadying breath. "That was the worst. When time had run out…. I thought I lost you." I feel tears burning in my eyes too. But it's okay. She'll understand.

"You didn't give up." She whispers, her voice low, barely audible.

"I couldn't." I close my eyes and savour the feeling of her in my arms. "It would have made it ... real. And I couldn't accept it. Couldn't lose you."

"Then don't." She says. Simple. My squint manages to simplify what I always thought she'd analyse to death. But it was so easy. I wouldn't lose her. She wouldn't lose me. We'll just hold on to each other.

She shifts in my arms, pulls back just a little, to be able to look into my eyes. I'm not sure what kind of emotions battle inside her, but I recognize the moment when the war is over. Her eyes are shining brilliantly, and though they are red-rimmed from crying, she is beautiful, so beautiful to me. I wish I could tell her, but my vocal cords won't work.

Then she suddenly closes the distance between us, presses her lips against mine. Gives me a sweet, long kiss. My eyes are still closed when she suddenly pulls back again. "I love you too." She whispers and I can't suppress a shudder. I've dreamed of her saying these very words. Then she covers my mouth with hers again, the kiss becoming more urgent, more demanding. Her hands wander over my chest, my back and I feel the heat burning between us.

"I need you." She breaks contact long enough to whisper in a husky voice to me. "I need to feel you."

"Yes." Is all I manage to say. It has to be enough. I'll just show her, how much she means to me, since words elude me. I kiss her back with all the passion I had been holding in for…. I don't remember how long. It seems like an eternity.

We change positions without even thinking about it, I lean back and take her with me, her body covering mine while she kisses me as no woman has ever kissed me before. Her hands wander under the hem of my t-shirt as mine start to unbutton her blouse. My head suddenly collides with something hard and the TV starts blaring "I want to know what love is" at us. Seems I pushed a button, huh?

She smiles at me and whispers "Show me."

I try to pour all my love and desire into a kiss, then I finish unbuttoning her blouse, softly brushing the material away. "You're so beautiful." I whisper at the sight of her perfect breasts covered in white lace. Her mouth crushes down on mine, then she gets rid of my shirt, her fingers tracing the outline of my muscles.

"You look great too." She says and I suck in a breath, when her tongue darts out to replace her finger. She licks her way up from my stomach to my breast, then over my throat to my mouth, where I have to capture her tongue in a kiss before she dares to let it wander off again.

I unhook her bra and smile at the sight of her now bare breasts. "Come here." I say and draw her nearer, then I start nibbling and licking my way over her breasts. Her moans tell me she likes what I'm doing, but I ask her anyway. "Like that, do you?"

"Yes." Her husky whisper makes me feel even hotter than before. "What else do you want me to do?" I whisper.

"Show me." She repeats her words from before. "Show me, how it's supposed to be."

And I will. Over and over again. Foreigner's music plays to our love-making and one of my last coherent thoughts before losing myself in her is, that she's probably cured from her trauma about Hot Blooded by now. And if not, I'll make it my mission to cure her.

* * *

Soooo, what do you think? OOC, I know, but somehow it begged to be written like that.

Please let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for reading and reviewing, sweeties.

Here is another one-shot

** ATTENTION: Takes place during / after The con man in the meth lab (the final scene + more)!!!!! So there are spoilers for this epi in here!!!**

If you haven't seen the epi, better not read this one-shot.

It's not smutty, but as it's written in first person and present tense, like the other one-shots in this collection, I decided to add it.

Enough said…..here we go.

* * *

**The alpha male on the bench**

I sink on the bench, not sure how to deal with my problems. Jared is my brother and I love him. But I hate what he is doing… drinking, grinning into my face while he is on his way to becoming something so similar to our father I want to gag. Granted, I'm convinced he wouldn't hurt children, but how can he drink like that, remembering how our childhood had been? Maybe, he doesn't remember it as clearly as I do, though. It had always been me, protecting my little brother. Maybe dear old Daddy only haunts my dreams and not his.

I sense her even before I hear her heels clicking on the pavement or the sound of her voice, asking me if I want to come back in for cake. "I need time." I inform her, my voice a little rough. And Bones asks what only Bones can ask, in her blunt but understanding way. "Time and space?"

A little bit of the chill inside me fades upon hearing her soft inquiry and I answer with a smile. "Just time."

She sits down beside me, balancing a plate with a piece of cake on her upper thigh, handing me a fork. And as we share a piece of my birthday cake, sitting on a bench outside the bar where people who I work with, who are my friends laugh and drink, I realise I need to tell her. Because sometimes talking helps…and I make her talk to me all the time. It's only fair to tell her about me and my childhood, right? After all, she had handed me the file on her parents years back. Essentially, the file on her childhood.

I swallow hard as I remember that my childhood has a file too. No, many files. Complaints of neighbours because of the noise, for instance. The noise that occurs when a notorious booze hound slaps around his wife and kids. Of course the neighbours never thought of reporting the black bruises on my face. They were far more concerned about the noise.

"My Dad drank." I say softly. She pauses for a moment, then tries to scoop up another forkful of cake, but the plate, balancing on her thigh nearly slides off. I catch it, because she can't, not with her injured arm.

"Let me hold it." I offer and she nods mutely. We finish off the cake and I set the empty plate aside, placing the forks atop. "I never told you about my childhood." I say slowly.

"You don't have to, if you don't want to." She answers, her voice soft but with concern edged in it. "I have to confess that I already know a little bit."

I stare at her and it takes a moment until the pieces fall into place. "Cam?" I ask, though I already know the answer.

She nods. "I'm sorry. I didn't ask for it." She sounds guilty, but there's no reason for it.

"It's okay." I hurry to answer. "I would have told you eventually. I know a lot about your childhood, right?"

"Yes, but….this isn't about … balance." She whispers.

"No, Bones. That's exactly what this is about." I straighten a little. Somehow now it is easier. I know I'm going to tell her about my childhood and it's okay. BECAUSE she never asked for it.

"I always push you until you tell me about you, but you don't get anything back. It's not fair."

"It doesn't have to be fair, Booth. I'm sorry that I ever even listened to Jared…. I don't know why…." She starts to ramble, apologising. As if she'd done anything wrong. I shake my head and interrupt her. "Don't apologise. Jared didn't lie to you."

"You're NOT a loser, Booth." Bones says quickly and vehemently and I smile upon hearing the words I had wanted to hear after our argument. But somehow, now they mean even more.

I smile. "Thanks, Bones. I didn't mean that, but thanks anyway. Jared didn't lie, but he told you his version of the truth."

"I… don't understand." She frowns at me, confusion in her eyes.

"You were right about me protecting him and shielding him…. I always did that. Maybe that's why he never learned to face the consequences of what he's doing. But…. I'm his big brother. I had to look out for him…. or I would have lost him. You can't just turn that off, even if you know it would be the right thing to do. " I sigh and avert my gaze, stare at the empty street. "My father…. He was violent, when he was drunk. In the beginning, he would slap my mother occasionally, then apologise. He didn't hurt me, or Jared, who was just a baby. But it got worse. Especially after I started to go to school and had more contact with other kids. I learned that not all Daddy's drink, yell and insult their family. He knew that I started to understand that…. and tried to beat 'some sense in me'. Tried to break me." I use air-quotes to emphasize the sarcasm, then I rub my hands together, remembering how both of them had been in a cast at some point. I snort. "He broke something occasionally. But not me. Because I had a little brother to protect."

Her hand suddenly covers mine, steadying them, a warm, comforting feeling. I takes me a moment to understand that the position has to be uncomfortable for her, since the arm near to me is in a sling, carefully kept at distance from my shoulder and she has to reach over with her left hand. I free my hands carefully, than rise. She gives me a startled look and there's a hint of hurt in all the confusion. "Scoot over." I say and motion for her to take my place. "I don't want to hurt your arm." She looks at me for a moment, processing the fact that I'm not leaving now, as she surely had thought.

"Okay." She says and I sit down beside her again. I reach for her hand, needing the connection and she seems to have no problem offering me that small comfort. She had done it before, I remember. At the graveyard.

"I shielded Jared. Always." I sigh.

"It's what you do. You protect." She comments and I glance up, see the honesty of her words mirrored in her eyes.

"I try." Then I look at the black sling holding her injured arm in place. "Sometimes I fail."

She follows my gaze and rolls her eyes. "This is not your fault, Booth. Not everything is your fault." She is adamant and I know there is no way I get her to agree that I should have protected her.

"That Jared doesn't accept reality is MY fault." I say, switching back to the initial topic.

"I don't think so. You did your best. It's not your fault your father was abusive and Jared is an adult now. He chooses what he does with his life." She says and her words make me snort.

"I made a lot of choices for him. Maybe that's why he's always in trouble." I suck in a deep breath. "I told him he should watch it. Stop drinking."

"What did he say?" Bones asks.

"Basically? That it's none of my damn business." I force out. "But when it gets him in trouble, it's my business."

"No." She shakes her head. "It's not. The next time he gets in trouble, you have to let him face the consequences. He's got to learn to be responsible."

"Aren't we fucked up? My Dad drank and beat us, my brother is on his best way to becoming an alcoholic too and I had a major gambling problem." I force out.

"Had." She repeats one word. "You had a problem. You fought it and you succeeded. That's what makes you different. You realised you had a problem, accepted the truth and tried to solve it. And you made it. Jared doesn't accept that there might be a problem. As long as he doesn't take the responsibility for his mistakes, he won't ever learn."

I glance at her, surprised by her insight both in me, my family …. and well, psychology in general.

"That's kind of creepy." I say, trying for humour.

"What?" She frowns a little.

"You doing the shrink thing on me." I grin and wink at her, clarifying that I'm joking, to make sure she won't be offended.

"Ah. " She nods. "I thought I was doing the friend thing, though."

Her words get to me, just like they so often do. She can be so painfully honest sometimes, it's amazing.

"You're the best friend I could wish for, Bones, really." The words pour out of me, but they are true and heart-felt, so it doesn't matter.

Her eyes widen and she stares at me. "How can you say that? I believed the things your brother told me instead of just… trusting what I knew about you myself."

I wave her words off. "Real friends are honest and question each other at some point. You told me about it, you were totally honest about it, that means more than blind trust. Blind trust is not healthy anyway."

She blinks, clearly not understanding what I want to tell her. "Look, Bones…. I trust you. Here and here." I pat my chest, indicating my heart and then tip my forehead. "If there's only one of the two, it's not the whole thing. But I feel that I can trust you and I know it. That's …. how it should be."

"Then why did Jared manage to make me doubt what I should have known?" She asks barely audible.

I look at her and take in a deep breath. "I guess…. Because I didn't tell you enough about me. So you had to take his version to fill in the blanks." I shrug.

She bites her lower lip and I know she's thinking about something that's been eating at her for some time. She gets that look, an expression I can not quite describe, but I know there's hurt and doubt somewhere playing a part.

"Does that mean you didn't trust me enough?" She finally blurts out and I need a moment to process her words.

"No!" I shake my head and squeeze her hand gently. "Bones…. There is nobody I trust more. I didn't trust myself. I wasn't sure if telling you about my past, reliving it all…. would not …throw me back into my old habits. Make me lose myself."

Her brow furrows for a moment. "I wouldn't have let you." She announces.

And it's as simple as that. God, she is a genius. I should have known, I should have trusted that she wasn't going to let me make the same mistakes again. The woman is just so damn stubborn and so damn perfect for me. Not that I deserve it.

"I don't deserve you." I whisper and her eyes widen at my words, then a small smile creeps on her face. "You deserve to celebrate your birthday on Hawaii."

I blink. What is she talking about?

"If you still want to go… it would be my birthday present to you. A ticket for you to Hawaii." She says, almost shy now. "And back, of course." She adds after a moment.

I look at her, and shake my head. "That's way too expensive, Bones. Very generous and a thoughtful, but…."

She gives me a long look. "I've got enough money. But you didn't get what you deserve, right? Besides haven't you told Parker to accept gifts and say thank you instead of arguing?"

I laugh. "Bones, I told him that after he got the UGLIEST sweater in the whole wide world from my senile aunt. That was a lesson in being polite for a six-year-old…. It doesn't apply here."

"Let me do this for you, Booth. Please." She says. I suck in a deep breath. How often have I heard her using the word please? Not very often, so maybe this is why it has such an impact on me now.

My thoughts are racing, but I make up my mind soon enough for her not to just go and leave me sitting on that bench.

"It would have to be a ticket for two." I answer after a pause.

She seems surprised and maybe a little hurt. "Oh. Of course. You wouldn't want to go alone." She nods thoughtfully. "You'll just have to tell me the name of…. Well, I need the complete name to make the reservations." I hear the pause, the hesitation before saying of …'her'. She's so adorably clueless sometimes.

"As long as you haven't forgotten how to spell your own name, it's fine." I answer, watching her.

Her brow furrows again. "OF COURSE I do know how to spell my name, but what has that to do with the…." Then realisation hits and I see surprise on her face. Or shock, maybe. "Me? You want me to come with you?"

She stammers. "Why?"

I give her one long look and decide to finally just go with the flow and try my luck. I kiss her softly on the lips, a chaste brush of lips only. "That's why." I whisper and pull back.

The expression on her face is unreadable, which is not encouraging. She seems shocked and surprised ….again. Or still. But there are so many other emotions flickering over her face I can't name them.

"Because you want to kiss me?" She breathes after what seems an eternity, her eyes fixed on mine.

"That too." I say, thinking that honesty is probably the best way to approach this topic.

"What else?" She asks breathlessly.

I swallow hard. "I want to spend time with you. I want to show you that a real vacation means to leave anything work-related at home." My voice is rough.

She blinks and suddenly an amused smile creeps on her face. "You can't take me then. I'm work-related, too."

"We wouldn't be partners during a vacation." I say and I know I'm provoking her next question.

"What would we be?" She asks after a moment, her voice a hoarse whisper, uncertainty in her eyes… all traces of the earlier smile erased.

"First of all, friends." I answer and swallow, knowing that I have to finally admit it, god damn it. I had kissed her already, now I just gotta say the words. "And if you want to, Temperance…even more." More! Coward. Say it!!!

Obviously she is not thrilled with the word, either. "More?" She just repeats.

Ah, well. She hadn't slugged me after kissing her so she is not going to punch me in the face now, especially not on my birthday, right? God, I hope I'm right.

"I don't know when it happened…. I honestly can't say WHEN I fell in love with you, but I know why." I whisper, gazing into her blue eyes. Blue eyes that widen even more the same time I hear her gasp. But despite her obvious confusion she's got spine enough to ask. "Why?"

"Because you're fascinating, smart, beautiful… stubborn, too." I wink at her, but then I'm serious again. "Because you're you."

She blinks, then her lips part and she struggles to say something…. it takes a moment but finally she forces out a few words, laced with amazement and suspicion. "You love me?"

"I love you." I say and squeeze her hand gently.

She takes in the information, processes it…. tortures me with the time she takes, but I understand it's necessary for her. My heart beats fast as I'm nervously awaiting her reaction.

"You never… said anything. Why?" Her words surprise me a little. But only for a moment. After all, this is Bones, she needs to ask questions. Needs explanations.

"I was afraid I'd lose you. Thought you'd run. Hide." I say. I can hear the hoarseness in my voice, proof of how nervous I am.

She looks up into my eyes and nods slowly. I'm not sure what it means, but her words make me smile softly. "So there ARE things you're afraid of besides clowns."

"Plenty." I admit. I do not even object to being afraid of clowns. It's not completely wrong anyway. They creep me out.

"I thought you…. just wanted to be friends." She says, her voice sounding odd.

"We ARE friends. Whatever you…. decide, I want to be your friend, Bones." I whisper, knowing that being 'just' friends would never be enough, but had to be, if she said so. Because losing her altogether… I just couldn't bear it.

I watch her as she's biting her lower lip, then she finally opens her mouth to say something. "I think we need to go back in."

Her words slide in like a knife. That's it. My chest suddenly feels a little too tight and I swallow hard. Being friends it is, then. I barely hear the next sentences.

"I need to inform Cam. I have enough vacation time, but she needs to reschedule with the grad students…. So it might take a few days until everything is settled." She says matter-of-factly.

I blink, stare at her, trying to comprehend what her words have to mean. To make sure, I ask. "You…. you're going on vacation?"

She arches a brow at me. "We're going on vacation." She informs me and understanding begins to dawn. I guess I look as - positively – shocked as I am, because she gives me a long, intense look. "I'm not going to run."

"Thank God!" I breath and I move near her just as she is leaning in towards me. We meet halfway and kiss. Kiss deeply, promising, passionately. Not a trace of chasteness there.

It takes some time, but I remember that we're sitting on a damn bench in front of a bar, where everybody can see us. And her arm is injured too. So I pull back, though it takes considerable effort to do so.

"No digging up and examining bodies in Hawaii." I warn her and she laughs, mischief glinting in her eyes. "The only body I plan on examining is yours." She says huskily. Breath whooshes out of me and I gape at her.

"What?" She asks, feigning innocence.

"You…" I stop and shake my head, not knowing what to say.

She narrows her eyes a little. "You said you loved me. I assumed you'd want to have sex, too."

Her bluntness is so refreshing, she makes me grin and forget about my initial shock. "You assume right." I brush another quick kiss over her lips. "But can we not talk about this now? Making out on a bench in front of a bar is for teenagers. Somebody could see us."

"Booth." She shakes her head. "They've been watching for ten minutes now."

I practically feel the color drain of my face and I turn around, my gaze swivelling to the windows of the bar. Sure enough, Angela, Cam, Hodgins and Sweets are beaming at me. I blink.

"You knew they were watching?" I whisper.

She shrugs and winces a little, obviously getting a painful reminder of her injured arm. "It's not as if we could keep it a secret, you know."

"In that case…." I cup her face and kiss her passionately again. Might as well give the gawkers a show. And damn, isn't she a responsive kisser.

She pulls back after some time, a dreamy look on her face. "You kiss way better than your brother."

A feeling of cold fury suddenly overwhelms me. "He kissed you?" I press through gritted teeth.

"Relax. It was nothing. No feelings on either side. He just wanted to prove a point." She says and gives me a very intense look. "He said you'd never take the risk to kiss me. But you did. Proved him wrong again." She winks at me. "I'm glad you did. Now… I think we should go back in. It's YOUR birthday party after all, and you haven't even opened your gifts."

She rises and I do too, but I hold her back from walking inside yet. "I got my best gift already." I say.

She gives me a questioning look. "Hawaii?" She guesses.

"You." I answer and press a kiss to her forehead.

An amused smile appears on her face. "You assume I belong to you now? Typical alpha-male."

She shakes her head in mock disbelief, but I notice the lack of REAL objection.

And we start to bicker as we always do. With the one difference that I now know she loves me too. She hasn't spoken the words yet, but actions can say as much. For Temperance Brennan to sacrifice vacation time she could spend with decomposing bodies for ME?

It's got to be love.

* * *

Well, what do you say? Did you like it? I know it's quite long for a one-shot, so I hope you made it through the whole thing ;)

REVIEWS WOULD BE AWESOME!


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing on my one-shots. Finally, here is a new one-shot - Present tense / 1st person Booth… I hope you'll like it.

* * *

The Frown

There it is again. And I know I provoked it…somehow. It always starts the same way… her eyebrows draw together and a fine, vertical line appears between them. The expression in her eyes changes somehow, goes from neutral to a mixture of affront, hurt and confusion. There's a subtle change in how she's holding her head and I can see that she is clenching her teeth. The Frown. With a capital F.

I sigh. Something is wrong and I have no clue what I did to be on the receiving end of the Frown. Again.  
"What?" I ask.

"What what?" She snaps back. She crosses her arms in front of her chest, reinforcing her defence.

"What did I do now?" I sigh, defeated.

"Nothing." She forces out through gritted teeth.

"Sure. That's why you're spitting fire right now." My answer does NOT lighten her mood.

"Spitting fire is impossible." She comments. I sneak another glance at her, once again not paying as much attention to the road as I should. But how am I supposed to concentrate on driving with Bones scowling at me like that?

"You are angry. Or upset. It's not always easy to tell with you." I give back and she snorts.

"Both?" I ask after a moment of silence. No answer. "Would you please tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing." She grumbles again.

Right. As if I hadn't heard that one before.  
"Yeah, yeah. That's what women always say. And in reality there's a HUGE something." I answer.

"If you say so." She just mumbles, stubbornly looking out of the window on the passenger side, refusing to meet my gaze now.

Here goes nothing. Fine, I tell myself, let's try something else. I pull over and stop the car at the shoulder. It isn't as if there was a lot of traffic on that road in the middle of nowhere.

"What are you doing?" She asks. Her frown deepens as she looks at me, she's so obviously pissed I wouldn't be surprised to really see her spitting fire.

"Waiting out the storm." I answer and an expression of utter confusion briefly smoothes away the line marring her forehead. "There is no storm. The weather is great and we're not expecting a change." She lectures me.

"I know. You're the storm." I barely get the words out… yep, the Frown is back in place.

I sigh, as I often do with her around. "Bones, will you please tell me what's happening? We still have about an hour or more ahead of us."

"I didn't tell you to stop the car." She informs me and I roll my eyes. "Jesus. Fine, Bones… I stopped the car because I know you're upset or angry. I know I'm probably supposed to figure out myself what the hell I did wrong, but I'm tired and I want to go home. So could you please cut me some slack and for once TELL me what I did to deserve the Frown.?" I rant at her.

She blinks. "The Frown?" Her eyes narrow dangerously.

I snort. Of course she picks up on that, not on anything else I said.

"Yes, the Frown. You'll get a wrinkled forehead one day." I mumble and now her eyes widen in outrage. "What are you talking about?"

"I know when you're angry, cause you have that big bad scowling face complete with wrinkles on your forehead and clenched teeth." I inform her.

"Glabellar line" She says. I raise an eyebrow at her. She indicates the frown line. "That's how it's called."

"Fine. Call it a fancy name." I say exasperated. "It doesn't change the fact that I KNOW you're angry. Most likely at me. I don't know why and I won't just apologise on principal for who knows what, although maybe it would settle all this……So would you please tell me?"

The Frown doesn't vanish completely, but she tones it down a little.

"I don't understand." She finally says.

My patience is fading. "What? You don't understand what?" I ask.

"I don't even know why I'm angry." She confesses and I have to laugh out loud. "Now that's rich. You don't know WHY you're so cranky, but I'm supposed to figure it out?"

"I never said you had to do that." She defends herself.

"Right." I nod. As if. She might not have said it, but she meant it, maybe only subconsciously. Even Bones, who can be so blunt and straightforward, uses the same tactics as every other woman occasionally. Must be innate.

"Don't be so condescending." She snaps. She seems to be more irritable than usual. Now it's my turn to frown. She's clenching her fists tightly and I suddenly know that there is more to this than first met the eye. Something is really bothering her. Upsetting her. My anger fades and I reach over to cover one of her hands with mine. My action clearly startles her and she looks up at me and now I see the unguarded emotion in her eyes: profound confusion. The anger, the Frown … it had all been façade.

"Something's bothering you. Won't you tell me what it is?" I try to be gentle now.

"I'm…." She pauses, bites her lower lip. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea." She finally says, averting her gaze.

"Why? Come on, Bones… We're partners, you can tell me everything." I say, hoping fervently she won't take it literally and tell me about her PMS, in case that's what's troubling her. There's only so much a man needs to know about that kind of problems.

"You won't understand. I don't understand myself. I… I'm sorry. I don't think we should talk about this. I'll…. Try not to think about it anymore. You can..." She waves her hand, indicating that we should hit the road again.

"Nope." I shake my head. "I'm not going to spend the next hour in uncomfortable silence, just because you're too proud to tell me what's upsetting you."

"I'm not too proud to tell you…" She instantly gives back, clearly affronted. "It's… If I promise to talk to Angela about it when we're back, will that be alright?"

Temperance Brennan does NOT give in like that. Temperance Brennan does NOT offer a compromise that easily. And she does NOT end sentences with 'will that be alright?' in that unsecure voice.

What the hell had happened to my partner these past few hours? She had been normal – well her normal self – during our drive to the farm where we met the family of a guy whose remains she'd evaluated. He'd had his driver's license with him, so identification was easy.. The poor bloke had been dead for ten years until somebody had found his bones. We had finally had the chance to give the family closure. It had been a hiking accident, not a homicide, but since we had been on our drive home from the scene and it was on our way, we offered to deliver the news to the family instead of having the local police make the drive.

She had been fine. What is wrong with her now?

"Bones." I hear myself say and the concern I feel is leaking into my voice. She has to be able to hear it.

"Please tell me what's wrong. Is there something I can do?"

"No." She shakes her head. "I guess I'm maybe coming down with something. This is just.. an aberration." She shakes her head again, as if trying to get rid of something, starts muttering so herself.

Women are a mystery to men. Always were, always will be. Bones is of course no exception… she could be speaking Chinese right now, it wouldn't make a difference.

"Not logical. Just… an aberration." She mutters.

"Is this about the guy we found?" I ask, taking a wild guess.

"Not so much about him as about his daughter." She answers, then clamps her mouth shut, clearly displeased with herself for blurting out that little tid-bit of information.

An image of the pretty red-haired thirty year old daughter of the dead guy flashes through my mind. Cynthia Barlowe. She had been nice, had shed a few tears, but after ten years she had known her father wouldn't be coming back. The news about the discovery of his remains, the information about how he had died had been closure, more comfort than anything else. I have no clue why the daughter or her behaviour might upset my partner.

"I'm not sure I can follow you." I offer hesitantly.

"Well, then don't. I don't even understand myself." She sighs.

"Come on, Bones… let's figure this out. I don't like it when something's bothering you." I pressure her and she gives me an exasperated look. "Do we really have to discuss this now? Can't we just drive back home and forget about this?"

"No." I answer firmly. "Sweets encourages to discuss problems when they occur instead of postponing it. You agreed with him. Out with it."

"Fine." She spat at me. " I seem to be displaying some kind of territorial behaviour around you." She almost yells. "I'm sure it's just temporary… some kind of aberration, as I said." She clenches her teeth and stares out the window.

The force of her answer renders me speechless for a while, then the words register in and I'm confused. "Territorial behaviour?" I repeat slowly.

"Yes. Happy now?" She snaps.

"No. I'm not sure what you're talking about and I have no clue how this has anything to do with Cynthia Barlowe." I shake my head. Women…there is just no way of understanding them.

She clenches her fists again and her voice is clipped as she forces out her next words. "She cried all over you. Turned it on one moment and off the next. Her grief was not real."

"Are you saying she faked it? You mean…" I pause, contemplating what she was insinuating.

"Yes. She just wanted you to comfort her." My partner confirms in a flat voice, tight with anger.

The whole situation, her anger and her insight in that woman confuse me. "Okay. Well… that's… You sure?" I ask, stunned. Usually it was me picking up on things like that.

"Yes. She never missed her father. There is not one single picture of him around and she only looked sad when you were watching her. Besides, she seemed rather fascinated by parts of your anatomy." Bones informs me, her voice cool.

O-kay. "You mean she was checking me out? And then started the water works so I would hold her while she was crying?" I ask again, just for confirmation.

"Yes." Bones hisses.

"Wow. That's pretty low." And disgusting. The woman had just gotten the confirmation that her father was dead and had nothing better to do than hit on me? How fucked up is this world, anyway.?

"Hm." My partner's response – if you can call it that – surprises me again. So, she is pissed at that woman for being a opportunistic bitch. Fine with me. But why the Frown and that talk about…

"Territorial behaviour." I repeat her earlier words again. Big words. Anthropological. Clinical and detached. But surely she is not saying what I think she is saying.

"It's just temporarily." She quickly explains, her eyes shooting daggers at me. "I'm probably displaying odd forms of behaviour because I'm fending off a viral infection."

I narrow my eyes at her. "You're not sick."

"Angela was sick last week. She might have passed it on to me. Incubation time varies…" She starts to ramble and I interrupt her. "Temperance." Using her first name has the desired effect. She shuts up, eyes wide. After a moment she starts biting her bottom lip.

"Are you trying to tell me…. that you were jealous?" The concept seems so alien, I can hear the doubt in my own voice.

"An aberration, as I said." She quickly comments, stubbornly staring out of the window on her right side, effectively avoiding my gaze.

"You were jealous?" I can't quite believe it. The sudden satisfaction I feel upon imagining Bones being jealous on my behalf comes as a surprise… or not. "Of her?" Had that deceiving red-head brought along something good after all?

"I didn't say… I'm…. As I explained, I seem to be displaying …" I quickly realise what she is doing. Trying to talk herself out of it, putting distance between herself and what she is feeling, cloaking it into her scientific mumbo-jumbo. As if it has nothing to do with her!

Somehow that makes me mad. No, you won't! A sudden burst of anger explodes inside me.

"Cut the crap." I bark, with more force than necessary. "Just say it."

Her head whips around, her blue eyes blazing. "Yes. I was jealous. Satisfied now?" There is desperation in her voice.

Hearing her say the words like that makes my heart skip a beat. Should I tell her that I've been fiercely jealous of every guy she's been dating these past years?

I settle for. "Actually no."

"What no!" She bites out, clearly furious. And embarrassed.

"Not satisfied." I answer.

"Well, that's not my problem. I told you what bothered me. I'm sure this is just… a phase or something so you can…" She starts rambling again and I feel obliged to interrupt her.

"That's what's worrying me." I whisper. And God help me if it isn't the truth.

She only blinks. Temperance Brennan, speechless. A sight to behold.

"That it might only be temporarily." I clarify. "That you might be able to talk yourself out of this." Silence settles between us.

"And what would THIS be?" She asks after a moment. The same question coming from somebody else might have seemed sarcastic, but there was sincere curiosity and confusion in her voice.

"Us, Bones." I simply say. I see a hint of understanding in her eyes, but it's not enough. Somehow this is the time and place to come clear. I wouldn't have pictured it like this, in my SUV in the middle of nowhere, but what did it matter. I owe her the truth. Her and myself.

"I can't stand seeing you with other men." I finally explain. She gasps in surprise. "Thinking of you rolling around with some asshole in your bed makes me want to …" I swallow the rest of the sentence and clench my fists. The mere thought of it makes my insides churn.

"Oh." She makes and swallows hard. As I watch her I see the moment she starts to understand.

"This… is…." She stutters and stops, seems to mull things over in her head. I'm a little afraid of whatever she is going to come up with. Her brain sometimes produces the oddest conclusions. They are always logical, in some twisted way. They just lack feeling sometimes, because she's so fucking good at distancing herself..

"Where does this leave us?" She suddenly asks.

"You tell me, Bones. You're the one who keeps on insisting on your feelings being temporarily." I answer.

"That's not fair. You can't just throw this back at me." She glares at me. "It might be just… a phase in your case, too."

"I doubt that. It's been a pretty long phase so far." I murmur.

"Oh." She says again, takes a deep breath and forces out the next question. "Ah, since when?"

"Since always. It's just getting worse. First I only needed to do a background check on the men in your life. Now I want to shoot them. Or strangle them. Sometimes both." So much honesty should earn me an award, god damn it. I suck in a deep breath, not sure what to say or do now. Silence descends, seems to choke me.

"I didn't expect this." She suddenly whispers.

That's all I get for my honesty? Great.

"Yeah, well. Life's full of surprises, Bones." I mutter glumly.

"Don't be angry. I didn't say I didn't like it." My partner says matter-of-factly. I stare at her, not sure what to make of her words. Here we are, sitting in my car, staring at each other.

"I lied, Booth." Bones suddenly murmurs. Did she now? About what, I ask myself.

She continues in a low voice. "Not only to you… also to myself. It's not just a phase."

I blink. Take in a deep breath and slowly let it out again. Did she really just say that…?

"I've always been uncomfortable thinking of you having intercourse with other women." She adds after a moment, almost shyly. Jesus. Talk about honesty.

I recover from my – positive – shock and decide to take action now. There's time for talking and there's time for ACTING. And since I'm not sure I can form a coherent sentence anyway, kissing her might just do the trick. I reach for her and before I fully comprehend what's going on she's in my arms and we're kissing. Not the romantic kind of kisses, though I plan to give her those too… no, this is the carnal kind, the kind that says

"Let's strip naked and do it NOW."

Her fingers trail over my shoulder, my chest. Hot damn. I'm definitely responding on all levels to her. She moans in my mouth and I know she's just as turned on as I am… But I know we need to stop before tearing off each others clothes. After all this time we had wanted each other, we should be able to control the need a little longer, right?

"Bones." My voice is hoarse. "We need to stop."

"Why?" She asks, her voice husky, sexy, threatening to tear what little control I have left to pieces.

"Because we're in my car on the road and we're not teenagers any more." I gasp when she presses a kiss against my throat and I'm close to just giving in and forgetting about anything but her and me and how good we fit together.

But then a shadow falls over us, somebody taps against my window and we break apart instantly. I suck in a deep breath and meet the gaze of…. "Highway Patrol?" I mutter. Oh, wonderful.

I roll down my window. The officer tries to scowl at us, but there's a grin lurking somewhere underneath. "Ma'am, Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but the way your vehicle is parked here is …." I see his eyes flash as he notices the telltale bulge of a concealed weapon under my jacket. "Sir, please place your hands …."

I interrupt him before he can give me his speech. "Special Agent Booth, FBI. I'd show you my badge, but I don't want to make you nervous."

"Ah." He nods. "FBI. Heard you're in town. You've been at the Barlowe farm, right? Informing poor Cynthia about her Dad's accident?"

I hear Bones snort beside me. "Yes." I nod. "This is my partner, Dr. Brennan."

"Your…partner. I see." He clears his throat. "Ma'am." He nods at her and the grin finally breaks through. "I'd still like to see your badge, Special Agent Booth."

I fumble for my badge and present it, the officer nods and smiles at us. I see a mischievous spark in his eyes and I know there's going to be a funny remark before he lets us off the hook.

"I trust you to continue this investigation elsewhere." He says and winks at us. I roll my eyes, but I can't contain a smile. Bones starts to laugh quietly.

The officer marches off, waves and he and his vehicle vanish in a cloud of dust.

I look at my partner, see her smile at me. She doesn't seem upset or embarrassed. "Well, let's take this investigation to DC, what do you say?" I ask her and the smile broadens. "Okay."

I turn the key in the ignition and steal another glance at here. She's still smiling, seems happy, relaxed, but also full of anticipation. A Smile with a capital S. I can live with that.

* * *

Sooooo, I hope you liked this one-shot.

Reviews would be great.


End file.
